Best Buy Pixel 3s have to be activated first on Verizon before a SIM from another carrier can be used

Just a little head’s up for those of you who are planning to buy a Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL from Best Buy.

Before you do so, you should know that the phones are SIM locked to Verizon. This means the phones need to be activated first at Big Red before you can start using a card from another carrier.

Big Red has confirmed for The Verge that once the Pixel 3 is activated on its network, the device will be automatically unlocked overnight.

That was not the case with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, which could be instantly unlocked and compatible with most carriers in the country.

Verizon has recently updated its policy

So why the change? It has to do with Verizon’s new set of rules, which stipulate that any devices purchase after October 8 will be SIM-locked to the carrier. And it’s not just the Pixel 3 getting this treatment, but all the phones sold by Verizon.

The carrier says it has adopted this new policy as a means to protect itself from theft and fraud.

The Pixel 3 is sold exclusively by Verizon in the US, which means you won’t be able to get it from any other carrier. So if you’re not a Verizon subscriber and don’t have any plans to become one in the near future, what should you do?

Well, you could wait for Google to start selling the unlocked phones via its official Store. The only caveat is you will have to wait until October 23 to do so. There are only four days left until then, so it shouldn’t be such a big problem.

As a quick reminder, if you plan to buy from the Google Store or Best Buy, the Pixel 3 with 64GB of storage will take you back with $799, while the 128GB variant costs $899. The Pixel 3 XL starts at $899 with 64GB of storage, while for the 128GB model you’ll have to shell out $999.

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